


waiting for a sign

by oathofsilence



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Real World, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of light injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 20:32:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7772107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oathofsilence/pseuds/oathofsilence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance gets himself into trouble and texts Keith to come to his rescue. Keith wonders how on earth Lance always manages to get himself into such situations, but takes care of him anyway. While he does that, he tries to find out what really happened this time that would have gotten Lance beaten up...</p>
            </blockquote>





	waiting for a sign

It was a pleasantly sunny afternoon and Keith has just gotten home to his small apartment after finishing his training for the day. Content with all he’d gotten done today he’d decided to just take some time off enjoy the evening with a book, or a movie, or whatever. He hadn’t made his mind up just yet. He had just taken off his shoes, hung up his jacket and thrown his backpack in its designated corner, when he felt his mobile vibrate in his pocket. The screen colorfully informed him that he’d received a text from Lance.

 

**Lance (3:47 P.M.) :** keith i think i’m dying

 

“What the…” They had just seen each other about twenty minutes ago. What life-threatening situation could he  _ possibly _ have maneuvered himself into?!

Keith pondered for a moment if he should reply with a lengthy, snarky text but decided against it eventually.

 

**Keith (3:50 P.M.):** … why?

 

The response was a slightly blurry picture of Lance’s face, his nose and really too much of his face covered in blood. Keith made a small noise of disgust and typed away a reply as he made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

 

**Keith (3:53 P.M.):** What did you DO.

**Keith (3:53 P.M.):** Also, gross. Warn me next time

**Lance (3:55 P.M.):** i don’t know! i just walked down the street and some guy punched me. out of the blue! what if my nose is broken? Oh god

 

Keith groaned. He was really,  _ really _ tempted to set his phone aside face down and just not look at it again for the next few hours. Or maybe put it in the fridge. Or drown it. He appreciated his friends and all, but sometimes Lance was just. A bit too much for him to handle. His phone buzzed again.

 

**Lance (3:56 P.M.)** : and you didn’t even ask if i’m okay. some friend you are.

 

Despite himself, Keith had to smile a little.

 

**Keith (3:58 P.M.):** I’m preeeeetty sure no one punches you without a reason, Lance. Even if it’s you.

**Keith (4:00 P.M.):** In all seriousness though, are you okay? I can pick you up if you need me to.

 

There was no reply for a couple of minutes. Which was unusual, since Lance was one of those people who usually replied right away. Unless he didn’t care for the person he was texting or unless something happened that would make it hard or impossible for him to text back. 

Keith set down his now empty glass on the counter next to his phone and tapped his fingertips on the pantry before growing too impatient and picking up the phone to text Lance again.

 

**Keith (4:08 P.M.):** Lance?

 

Nothing.

 

**Keith (4:11 P.M.):** Did I break you by showing that I care??

 

When, again, there was no response after another ten minutes, Keith decided to just call Lance. He knew he was probably overreacting a bit, but better safe than sorry. Better to call him than to accidentally have him croak on the side of the street somewhere. Lance almost immediately picked up.

 

“Hey Keith.” He sounded pretty chipper.

“Are you okay?”

Keith could hear the smug grin in Lance’s voice. “Heh. Did I make you worry?”

“You’re not funny.”

“I beg to differ.”

 

This time, Keith would have loved to throw his phone against a wall. Preferably a wall that wasn’t a wall at all, but was Lance. Specifically his face. But hey, life was no wish-granting factory.

 

“Well,  _ anyway, _ do you need my help now or not? Because I actually had plans for this evening.”

 

“Sure you do.” 

 

“ _ Lance _ ,” Keith said in his best imitation of Shiro’s  _ Quit Screwing Around _ -tone.

 

Lance giggled breathlessly. “Okay, okay, yeah, I could actually use some help.”

 

“Where are you?” Keith asked as he was already heading out of the kitchen to get his boots and jacket.

 

“I’m at our café.”

 

“Got it. Be there in a few.”

 

It wasn’t really their café, of course. But Lance had insisted it was theirs now after they’d gotten coffee there once and practically spent the whole day there. And then some more afternoons.

  
  


As Keith pulled into a parking spot next to the café, he could already see Lance sit on the rim of one of the massive flowerpots that trailed the cobbled the way to the café’s entrance on both sides. Next to him was a small pile of reddened paper tissues and he was currently pressing another crumpled one to his nose. Keith closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gain composure, then got out of his car.

 

Lance waved with his tissue in hand and a broad grin as he saw Keith walk towards him.  Keith stopped in front of him with furrowed brows and crossed his arms.

 

“How.”

 

“Well, hello to you, too.”

 

Keith couldn’t help but smile a little, because how on earth does Lance always manage to get himself into these kinds of situations? He certainly wasn’t dumb, neither was he defenseless. Without thinking, he reached out to softly lift up Lance’s chin to be able to look at his injuries. Not only did he appear to have been bleeding from his nose, there was also a slit in his lower lip. Keith sighed and shook his head slightly.

 

“Seriously, I leave you alone for half an hour and you get yourself beaten up?”

 

Lance shrugged slightly. “Actually, you should see the other guy.” His voice sounded slightly choked and Keith realised he was still almost caressing Lance’s cheek. Uh-oh. As nonchalantly as possible he drew his hand back and cleared his throat.

 

“My car’s over there,” he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “I’ll get you home”

 

Lance looked at him for a moment longer, almost stunned, and if Keith wouldn’t know better he could’ve sworn there was a slight blush on his friend’s cheek. It was probably just the blood on Lance’s shirt making his skin seem reddened. Or something.

 

“Yessir!” Lance replied a bit too enthusiastically and rose quickly. Keith was already halfway back to his car when he called back, “but throw away these tissues first though, I don’t want to get barred from this café because you’re polluting the environment.” He heard Lance chuckle behind him.

  
  


Lance slammed the car door shut behind him. “Hey. Thanks.” he said sheepishly.

 

“Sure,” Keith said as he stuck the key into the ignition. “So, which way to your house?”

 

Lance took a deep breath and started wringing his hands. “You see, that’s the issue here. The reason I was at our café in the first place was because I don’t want to go home today. At least not yet. So, uh.” He held out his palms and raised his shoulders in an apologetic fashion.

 

Keith looked at him curiously. Lance usually got along with his family really well, so this was worrisome. He didn’t inquire though, didn’t want to just yet, only nodded and started the car.

 

“Fine, I’ll take you to my place then. At least there no one will smack you.”

 

Lance grinned. “Wow, if I had known that all I had to do to get to spend the night at yours was to get punched in the face, I’d have let that happen sooner.”

 

Keith bit his lip, then inhaled deeply. “I’m going to turn this fucking car around.”

 

Lance laughed loudly at that. Keith tried to bite back a smile, but didn’t manage. Lance’s laugh always made him feel warm inside, even when he’d been mad at him just a moment ago. He swallowed at the realisation and decided to intensely concentrate on the traffic ahead instead.

  
  


Lance kicked off his shoes and continued down the small hallway of Keith’s apartment towards the kitchen area. 

“Woah, Keith, are you rich?” he heard Lance call from the other room. 

Keith took off his own boots, which took decidedly too long and stared at Lance’s shoes which  were just strewn about. Maybe he should pick one up and chuck it at Lance’s head.

 

“No, just lucky,” Keith explained and followed after Lance, who’d propped himself up on Keith’s sofa in the small makeshift living room next to the kitchen.

“Sooo, what now?” 

Keith decided to pointedly ignore the suggestive nature of Lance’s question and also the slight heat in his face and instead went to the bathroom to get some things from his medicine cabinet to actually take care of Lance. While he was at it, he also went to his closet to get a fresh shirt for him plus a washcloth. 

 

Lance made a shrieking sound as the t-shirt was flung into his face. 

“Yours looks like you murdered someone, so I figured you might wanna change,” Keith explained as he made his way to the kitchen sink to wet the washcloth.

Lance looked at the black shirt as if he’d never seen such a piece of fabric before. 

“Thanks.”

 

Absolutely not in any way looking at Lance’s rudely muscular back as he took off his shirt and revealed more of his brown skin than Keith was equipped to handle right now, Keith made his way over to the sofa and placed his supplies on the coffee table. Lance pulled on the black shirt and plopped himself down next to Keith.

 

Turns out, Keith also wasn’t able to handle looking at Lance in a black t-shirt, but apparently the universe just meant to do him like this today and he couldn’t do anything about it. 

 

Keith took up the washcloth to rid Lance’s face - and neck - of the blood. A lot of it was already gone, thanks to the bloody stash of paper tissues Lance did have sitting next to him after the incident, but there were still some dried spots on him.

 

He scooted closer to Lance, making their thighs touch, which wasn’t affecting him at all, of course. Reaching out again to steady Lance’s face as he dabbed it with the washcloth, he asked again what actually happened.

 

Lance avoided Keith’s gaze and seemed unusually quiet and nervous, but answered eventually.

“I don’t know. I told you. I just got punched.”

 

Keith sighed and set down the washcloth to look Lance straight in the face.

“Come on. Just tell me.”

 

Turning his face away from Keith, Lance started wringing his hands again, eventually regaining composure and going, “I defended your honour!” with a smirk that didn’t quite work.

 

Keith shook his head slightly. “What do you mean?”

 

Lance stared at the floor. “I went to the café and… there was this jackass that apparently had seen  _ us _ there together. A lot.” His gaze met Keith’s for a moment, before returning to the floorboards.

 

“I don’t know, he just started being an asshole, and normally I have a perfect sarcastic remark for everything, as you know, so I would’ve just shut him down immediately, but then he-” 

Lance stopped, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs and Keith could practically feel the fury radiate off him.

 

“He what? Did he hurt you?” 

 

Lance scoffed. “Well, in a way, yes. He said… really gross things. About you. And I just couldn’t let him get away with that! So I lunged at him and kinda threw him onto… or over… a table, but he was bigger and I wasn’t concentrating, so he got some good punches at me until someone pulled him off me.”

 

Keith just stared at Lance, who finally regained the courage to look up. 

 

“Don’t look at me like that! I didn’t get barred from the café, alright!”

 

Dragging a hand over his face, Keith started smiling. “You’re such a fucking idiot,” he whispered. Lance had never seen this expression in Keith’s face, one of worry and compassion and something he couldn’t quite read. Or rather, could read but didn’t let himself interpret the way he read it.

 

They sat in silence for a moment, locked in place by gazing into each other’s eyes, when Keith leaned forward and threw his arms around Lance.

 

“You’re  _ such _ a fucking idiot, Lance.” 

 

Perplexed, Lance returned the embrace, pulling him closer, making Keith let out a shuddering breath as it hit him how  _ warm  _ Lance was. Warm and soft and - and pulling back already.

 

“Lance?”

 

He didn’t pull back far, though. His hand wandered from Keith’s back to his upper arm, his collarbones, eventually gingerly cupping the side of his face. Again, they held each other’s gazes, and Keith’s insides felt like they were were squirming - in a ridiculously pleasant way. He noticed Lance’s gaze dropping to his lips while licking his own and  _ fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. _

 

Now Lance was  _ definitely _ blushing. And also leaning in.  _ Fuck. _

 

“Can I?” Lance’s voice was barely even a whisper and Keith had never thought to see Lance so nervous, so undone, but he nodded and then Lance’s lips brushed his, and Keith leaned into the touch, and it was the most wonderful feeling he’d ever felt.

 

Lance’s hand wandered and his fingers started playing with Keith’s hair, gently tugging at it, and Keith gasped against Lance’s lips and pulled him closer, kissing him harder, until Keith had to smile into the kiss and then grin. This was just so good, and he wanted more, and he couldn’t believe he was finally,  _ finally _ , kissing Lance, after having imagined it probably too often, but never having gotten right just how soft Lance’s lips would be or how good of a kisser he was, or how nothing else but him and Lance and their lips and their body heat existed in this moment. Really, how could he have helped grinning?

 

Again, it was Lance who pulled away ever so slightly. His face was flushed and his breathing ragged. 

“Are you actually smiling?” he said, grinning as well. 

“Because of me? Man, if I’d known this earlier…”

 

Keith rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. “Shut up.”

 

“Make me,” came the reply with a slightly risen brow.

 

“Why are you like this,” Keith complained before grabbing Lance’s shirt and pulling him into yet another kiss.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Kudos and comments are much appreciated.  
> If you noticed any grammatical error, don't hesitate to point that out to me, as I'm not a native speaker and just kinda spat this out in one go.
> 
> I also wanna give a HUGE shoutout to my friend Toska who helped me with ideas for this. You're a good egg <3
> 
> Also, here's the [tumblr link](http://genvalinor.tumblr.com/post/148957245287/waiting-for-a-sign)
> 
> come talk to me on twitter! @genvalinor


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